Pilgrim Media & ESL Partner On TV & Digital Development Deal

The Ultimate Fighter producer Pilgrim Media Group and esports industry leader ESL have partnered to create and distribute original esports entertainment content for television and digital platforms. The announcement was made today by Pilgrim Media Group CEO Craig Piligian and ESL Executive Chairman Steven Roberts.

Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures and Games Peter Levin brought the opportunity to Pilgrim and helped orchestrate the new content partnership. Lionsgate made an equity investment in Pilgrim last year.

ESL and its events in the Intel Extreme Masters, ESL One and ESL Pro League series attract millions of viewers online. Last year alone, ESL competitions and tournaments drew over 100 million viewers who watched over nine and a half billion hours of programming, according to the company. Games market research group Newzoo reported in January that the esports economy is projected to grow to $1.1 billion in revenue by 2019 with an audience of 345 million esports enthusiasts.